Dresden, meet Tam
by Atren Graves
Summary: Harry Dresden, Professional Wizard in the twenty-first century. River Tam, Unstable Assassin from the twenty-sixth. An unexplained twist in space and time pops up just long enough to get them into some mutual trouble. Because really, when isn't there trouble in old Chicagoland?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: A simple revision. This one reads better, I hope. Also, my decision to split it into three like this is variable. If people don't like it, I can change it. The word-count may be lower this time around, but that's just the lack of author's notes for each 'chapter'. The actual story is mostly unchanged.

Regarding scene breaks: I have yet to find a way to do them that I like. Hopefully I can make it work this time around.

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><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>Molly Carpenter sighed, gazing forlornly up at the starry sky, her legs swinging freely in the open air. She was sitting outside, on the balcony of her old tree house. Yup. Out in the chilly night air while her family was all bundled up, nice and cozy, inside. Probably watching some movie with lots of furry little animals and show tunes. On the modestly sized TV. That she was no longer allowed within ten feet of.<p>

Sometimes magic really sucked.

She sighed, and shook her head, finally just deciding she'd go for a quick walk around the block. There wasn't any reason to be worried about the 'danger'. Not in this neighborhood. And even if someone (or some_thing_, for that matter) decided to cause trouble, she was pretty sure she could handle herself. While she wasn't anywhere near as good as her mentor when it came to fighting, her abilities in stealth and distraction more than made up for it...

It didn't hurt that she knew her dad was nearby.

A plan firmly in place, Molly stood. She dusted herself off, checked her pockets for anything she might need, and turned toward the ladder down.

She froze when she saw the figure on the top of the tree house.

It was (or seemed to be) a girl, about her age. Her dress shifted and moved with the breeze, the skirt swishing around her knees spun, slowly, on the spot, reaching for the sky...

Molly really wasn't sure what most people would do when confronted with a random, barefooted girl dancing on their tree house late at night. So she decided to wing it.

"Hello?"

The girl's attention shifted away from the stars, and Molly couldn't help but take a step back as it fell on her. Beneath a screen of long, lanky hair, the girl's dark eyes were piercing, shining too bright to be healthy. They carried wisdom, brilliance, and insanity.

They reminded her of Mab.

After a moment, she swallowed, finding her voice again. "What are you doing?"

The girl looked up, seemed to consider, and nodded. "Trying to get home. Got lost. _Serenity_ can't find me."

Molly blinked, really not sure what she was supposed to make of that. But now she was curious…moving on, then.

"Maybe I could help? What's your name?"

The stranger shook her head. "Can't help. Not ready yet. Time must pass." She tilted her head, twirling around again. "Aces full of nines, pockets full of time. Lots of little rips and tears. She fell through them. Got lost off _Serenity_. Far out in the black…"

Molly's eyes widened slightly as the girl spoke. Riddles. Roundabout answers…

"Babbling like a brook, but that's not quite right." She stilled. "My name is River."

A name. That was good. Molly latched on to that, swallowing as she fought to keep her voice. "Right. River. Nice to meet you. I'm Molly." She glanced over her shoulder, at the bright, warm safety of home. "Um…I _think_ I can help? Or, try, at least...do you want to come inside?" She had to get to her dad…

River tilted her head thoughtfully...before nodding and moving towards the edge of the roof. She dropped easily, and moved to stand just in front of Molly. Waited.

Molly was quick to make her way down the ladder, and carefully led the other girl toward the house.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>I honestly don't know why I have a phone sometimes.<p>

All it ever does is get me into trouble. I'm not being melodramatic here. It seems like _every_ time I pick the damn thing up, bad things start to happen. Usually all at once.

That doesn't stop me from picking it up when it rings. Maybe I'm a masochist.

"Dresden." I said, without any hint of muddled drowsiness.

"Harry, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

It was Michael. And he sounded tense. That...wasn't normal.

"No, 'Course not." I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as I swung my feet over the edge of my bed. "What's up?"

"There's someone here…we need your expertise."

I frowned. Exactly what would be considered my 'expertise'? "What is it?"

"I don't know." Michael let out a heavy breath. "But I know you have that…familiar, of yours…"

"Yea, sure, I'll get Bob and be right there."

"Bless you Harry."

"No problem."

I hung up, and took a second to just sit there and prepare. Get psyched up before the inevitable shit-hitting-the-fan scenario. Of course, after that I went to get dressed and get my things together.

Time to go wizarding.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>My battered old beetle ground to a stop in front of the house, dying. Again<p>

It got me there, of course. That's what really matters.

I grabbed my bag and staff, pat the dash consolingly before pushing the door open and piling out. A short walk up to the door, and I rang the bell.

There was some muffled cursing as the bag hit my leg again, and I looked down. "Stow it Bob. Not much longer."

A few more mumbled words. The door opened, and Michael filled the doorway. He didn't look so great. Worry made the lines in his face stand out, giving him a tired, worn sort of look. Something was bothering him. And there was a very short list of things that got under Michael's skin.

I don't wait for pleasantries. "What's wrong."

"I think you'd better come in…"

My guard went up, then. "What happened?"

"I think it would be best explained inside. Come in, please." He said simply, moving aside to let me in.

I stepped through the threshold with his blessing, felt it part around me. I went ahead and fell into my 'detective' thing, getting a good look around, casting out with my senses to see what I could pick up.

There wasn't much.

Michael led me into the den. I saw Charity first, her serious expression now lined with caution. Molly was nearby, radiating uncertainty. The little ones were upstairs apparently…

My attention drifted to the only other occupant of the room. I'm honestly surprised I hadn't noticed a stranger earlier, but chalk it down to how still she's sitting.

A girl, maybe a little younger than Molly, was curled up on the big easy chair, knees pulled to her chest. She was watching the television as if it held the answers of the universe. The fact that it was powered down didn't escape me.

"Um…?" I sent a questioning look at everyone who was actually paying attention.

"I found her outside." Molly answered quietly. "She was on the tree house. Said she was lost."

I frowned. "Isn't a missing person something you should take to the police?"

Michael shook his head. "If I could be certain that it was only that…Harry, look at her. _Really_ look at her."

I looked again, hesitated slightly...and closed my eyes. With a familiar focus, a tiny bit of power, I opened my eyes. And with them, my Sight.

To my right stood Michael, bathed in such a fierce white glow I dared not look at him directly for fear of going blind.

Charity sat to my left, and was emitting the same glow, albeit with a strange feeling of cold warmth as well. Molly was barely containing her fear, and I watched her imagination spinning with horrible ideas of what could happen.

I turned my attention to the girl.

And immediately wished that I hadn't.

It took me a couple seconds, but I managed to shut my eyes, moving a hand up to my forehead.

"Bathroom…"

Michael wasted no time in leading me to the toilet, where I promptly threw up what was left of my dinner.

As I wiped my mouth and tried not to think about anything much at all, he glanced out the door. "What was it, Harry?"

I shook my head, spitting a bit of the bad taste from my mouth before taking a deep breath. "She's not right…someone messed with her head. It's...not pretty."

I'd seen scars. Scars upon scars. Piled up over each other, each one cold and precise. Each one with a malevolent _certainty_. Whoever did it had known what they wanted. And they'd gotten it.

And the scars hadn't been the worst of it.

While she had looked calm and collected on the surface, staring into space...on the inside, she had been so tense it was painful to see. She'd been staring around at every one of us, staring _into_ us, with unblinking, lidless eyes.

I shuddered, pushing the memory back before speaking again.

"The important thing is, she's human. And I'm pretty sure she's...relatively safe."

Michael nodded, glancing over his shoulder. "I was fairly certain of that, though there was doubt." He looked back at me, expression grave. "I will not keep her around my family, Harry. I will help, if I must, but...Harry, I believe she may be dangerous…" He glanced away. "I hate to…"

"Ask me to take care of it." I finished, shook my head. "Not a problem…" I saw the look in his eye, heaved out a sigh. "Michael, how many times have I dragged you or your family into danger?"

He didn't answer.

I nodded, with a sense of finality. "I like to repay my debts. And I owe you, big time." I put a hand on his shoulder, then passed out of the bathroom and moved downstairs.

I had to keep from flinching as I saw the girl again, but quickly swallowed the feeling and got a little closer.

"Hello…My name's Harry. Harry Dresden."

She looked up at me, expression calculating. After a few moments, I began to sweat. It was a relief when she finally answered.

"River Tam."

I let out a breath, nodded. "Well, River…You're lost. And my specialty is lost things." I forced myself to be relaxed, laid back like I usually was. "Come on kid. I'll help you find home."

River stared at me for another few moments before pushing herself up out of the chair and smiling...a nice smile that didn't at all fit with anything I'd seen so far.

"You won't be able to find it."

Hells bells...nothing is ever easy.

If I got _really_ lucky, my first stop might also be my last. Seeing as I had a missing person, I'd have Murphy search the database, report...things...for anyone matching River. Seeing as how we would have a name and a face, logic dictated that it would be easy.

Logic and I don't tend to get along well, unfortunately.

My first hint that something was up when I saw the Crime Scene Tape.

Right, so I know it's pretty obviously a sign of something bad. But you gotta admit, you don't often see it at the entrance to the police station.

"Come on." I said to my passenger as I stepped out of the car. She followed quietly as I approached the group of officers standing around the entrance. Most of them looked at me like I was at fault, and one started toward us, probably to warn me away.

I pulled out my nifty little name tag that labeled me an official consultant for the boys in blue.

The guy looked more than a little suspicious, but let me (and my 'guest', thankfully) through. I made sure not to touch anything and to step carefully until I reached the bottom of the stairs, where another yellow strip marked the edge of the scene. I ducked under and headed upstairs.

Murphy's office was just off the main hall, marked with a homemade hanging sign (because city hall was too cheap to pay for a plaque). I knocked, not wanting to fry her computers…again…

"Dresden?"

I blinked, having been unaware that Murphy had started exhibiting psychic abilites. "Uh, yea…How…"

She opened the door, pressing a hand to my chest to force me back a step or two. "You're the only one who actually knocks." She smirked, then peered past me, curiosity lighting in her expression.. "Who's this?"

I glanced over my shoulder at the kid. "Oh, yea. Murph, this is River. River, Karin Murphy."

The girl gave a small smile, ducking her head. It was strange. The first time she'd actually seemed human.

"She's sort of the reason I'm here…" I frowned suddenly. "Are you okay?" She was looking tired.

Murphy glanced at River, then shook her head. "Almost got shot, out front."

Color me surprised. "Jesus, Murph...someone shot at you?"

Murphy nodded, waving a hand dismissivly. "Sniper. Obviously not a good one, because he managed to miss." She shook her head again. "I'm fine. Just a little...rattled, I guess." A pause, and I watched with concern as she visibly gathered herself. "So. What do you need?"

"Oh, right, well…" I didn't want to push it. Murphy was touchy about this sort of thing. "I wanted you to help me find a missing person."

She just nodded, turning down the hallway. "Walk with me."

I glanced at River, jerking my head after Murphy, then started walking. Kid didn't miss a beat.

"So." Murphy turned a corner, keeping a brisk pace through the halls. "Who's missing?"

I had to do a little hop-skip to get the timing down, but managed to match her pace. "Well…River."

She glanced over her shoulder, raising a curious brow. "River is missing?" A pointed look at the girl who drifted beside me…jeez, the kid was quiet. And apparently, I needed to get her some shoes. She was still in her bare feet.

Oops.

"Yea, she's lost, and doesn't know where to go."

"Knows where." River said suddenly. "Knows when." She did a little twirl as Murphy came to a halt in front of a doorway. "Just doesn't know how."

Murphy's raised eyebrow lifted a little higher. I shrugged. "Don't ask me."

She shook her head, pulling out a key.

Just before she could open the door, however, someone appeared at the end of the hall.

"Lieutenant Murphy."

Murphy turned, frowning slightly. "Yea?"

The man flashed a badge. "Mark Carver, Internal Affairs."

Oh, wonderful. The guys who had been bothering Murphy for the past several_ years_.

Funny. I figured evil incarnate would be more…intimidating.

"I'm here to inform you you've been put on paid leave for the next two weeks while we sort this out."

Murphy blinked. "What?"

The suit pulled out a slip of paper, handing it to her. "Here's the order. Apparently, your superiors think it would be best for you to take a vacation."

Murphy growled slightly, then nodded. "As soon as I finish here, I'll leave."

The agent shook his head, practically oozing false sincerity. "Sorry ma'am, that order is immediate."

Murphy shook her head and made to open the door again. The agent's hand stopped it.

"I _could_ have you escorted from the premises, if you prefer..."

Murphy's eyes narrowed, and she slipped into that deadly relaxed stance that had seen the fall of men twice this guy's size. I stepped in quickly, setting a hand on her shoulder. A calculated risk, but seeing as how I'm not kissing the cheap carpeting I'll roll with it. "It can wait."

She glanced at me, stared at the agent for another moment...then turned to stalk off down the hall. Headed for the exit, I noticed.

I caught up quickly, checking to make sure River was still following. We made it to the sidewalk before Murphy slowed down. I matched her, again, walking behind her, to her right. River was on my left, staring up at the sky and humming.

Weird kid.

I focused on Murphy for the moment, took a deep breath.

"You okay?"

She coughed out a laugh. "Crap, Dresden. What do you think?"

Oookay…

"Sorry I couldn't get your info." She continued, waving me off "If you don't mind too much, I can access some stuff from my home computer."

I shrugged. "It's fine, I guess." A pause, and I wince. "And...y'know...River _does_ need a place to stay…"

Murphy turned, giving me a Look. I frown defensively. "Well, she can't stay at my place."

She sighed, rolled her eyes, and nodded. "Okay then. Guess I have a guest…

"All around the carpenter's bench, the monkey chased the weasel..."

I looked back at River, blinked a few times at the muttered rhyme. Turned my attention to Murphy again. "I'll walk you to your car."

I could almost see Murphy rolling her eyes. "I feel so protected."

"All around the carpenter's bench…"

Murphy pulled out her car keys, sighing as she looked around the small lot. "Where did I park again? Man, it's been a long day..."

"The monkey chased the weasel."

I swept my gaze over the parking lot, taking advantage of my height. "Over there." I pointed the spot out, and we started toward it. Murphy fingered the remote...key whatever, and I absently wondered if I would end up frying it.

"The monkey thought twas all in fun…"

There was a sudden pressure on my senses. Something was happening…in front of us…

"Get down!" I reached out and pulled Murphy back, pulling her against me as I turned on my heel. I crouched, ducked my head, and prayed that the enchantments on my duster would stand up to whatever was about to happen.

River...how the hell did I forget...

There was an explosion from behind me. I could feel the heat, and the shrapnel that bruised me though the spell-covered coat covering me was enough to tell me it was probably the car.

My ears were ringing, but I reached out with my other senses to check. Everything was...settled, it seemed. I stood, carefully...

River stood there, dress fluttering slightly in the breeze. The fire behind me cast her in an unearthly orange glow, flicking shadows dancing across her form. There were several tiny cuts on her face and arms, apparently from the bits of metal that had gone flying...but she didn't seem to take any notice of them. \

She looked down at me, and I saw the flames reflected in her eyes.

"Pop goes the weasel."

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>I moved through the wreckage, scanning the blackened asphalt. Little sparks of flame still burned, here and there, the tar and whatever else having yet to burn away entirely.<p>

I found what I was looking for in the center of the whole mess. As I crouched next to the small crater, I reached out with all my senses.

The faint outline of a circle was still visible. It was vague, at best, and technically could have been anything. But the Power that still clung to it was hard to miss. This hadn't been a bomb.

It had been a spell.

I looked around for a moment, checking to make sure the Crime Scene guys and uniforms were all a decent distance from the scene...then pulled a human skull from my bag..

"Hey. Wakey wakey. Need you to look at something for me."

Orange lights flickered in the eye sockets of the skull, its teeth clicking as Bob grumbled. "You shove me in a smelly bag for hours, then expect me to help you? _Really_ Harry..."

I pointed the skull at the charred array.

He let out a low whistle, his jaw clicking closed again. "Fancy stuff. Looks like it used thaumaturgy to sense a target. When they get close enough...well...'Kaboom'."

Huh. "Magic trip mine?"

"Mmhmm." The lights in his eyes flickered. "Basically. Who set it off?"

"Probably Murphy. Someone tried to kill her earlier. Sniper." A failed attempt...the array had been pretty damn quick for a second try...

Bob gave the impression of nodding, staring down at the circle. "The killer had to have gotten a piece of her then, most likely some blood. Set up the circle on the parking place with some chalk, and activate it after the lady cop is inside. She comes out to the car, looks like a car bomb."

I reached up to rub my jaw, gaze drifting around the scene. "Jeez, Bob…Why would someone from my side of the fence be gunning for Murphy?"

"Mavra has a bone to pick with her."

That was true. "But Mavra's not stupid. She knows damn well I'd kill her if I found out."

"Well, what about those Denarian guys?"

"Ungh. Don't remind me." I had a fallen angel in my head to do that for me.

I waited a few seconds, but she didn't make an appearance. Strange. Usually she was just _waiting_ for a straight line like that.

"Okay. Well, we can't find anything right now…I'm going to go check up on Murphy…maybe suggest she take a few days at Father Forthill's." That church was one of the better protected places in the city.

"Right. And maybe I should…you know…go with her…for...advisement."

"She's not going to let you ogle her."

Bob huffed, sounding insulted. "Really Harry. I _do_ sometimes think of other things."

I gave him a Look.

"Oh, just shove me back in the bag and get it over with."

I did just that, ignoring the muttered Greek curses.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

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><p>River followed the dark man, Harry, in his little, spluttering, combustion engine machine. It reminded her of <em>Serenity<em>. Worn, and cobbled. But dependable. Loved...

She knew she had to follow him, this magus. Practitioner of myth. He was the first step. Always finding steps. Steps that led down paths that led down lives, every one different…

They stopped in front of an old building, wood and stone. She followed as he went to a door, mumbled more words to part a shining curtain. Exerted energy opening the door, resistance and friction making the simple action problematic.

A creature came out, attempting to topple the tower. Mammal. _Felis Catus_. Cat.

She crouched down to see it, and it saw her. Spoke to her. Said _'I am the master here.'_

She smiled and patted him, spoke more words, syllables, sounds, letters.

Followed Harry inside.

Here it was familiar. The wall hangings and furniture, while old and dusty, reminded her of the companion's shuttle. Inara. So sad the bad man couldn't see her.

And there were sounds. The structure was speaking to her, singing. Alive. This place was like _Serenity_, too.

She spoke, knew she spoke, didn't know what she was speaking. Why. Heard but didn't listen. Understood but didn't comprehend.

Flame came then, with another whisper. She mimicked. "Flickum Bickus". The effect wasn't repeated. Obviously not capable of physical manipulation as this one was…

Another mammal, _Kanis Lupus Familiaris_, trotted up to look at her. It's thoughts were clear, simple, pure. Also guarded and protective.

"Good boy." She whispered, reaching out to stroke it's head.

The dog just tilted his head and licked her palm.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

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><p>"We're hungry."<p>

I turned, a little bemused as I looked at River. She was just standing there, staring at me.

So was Mouse.

Both were giving me puppy dog eyes. And don't look at me like that, I'd like to see you try standing up to two pairs of big brown eyes giving you that look.

"Okay…What do you want?"

River's head tilted to the side. "Is pizza good?"

I blinked. "What?"

"Pizza." She repeated. "He likes it." She patted Mouse's head, and he gave her a doggy grin.

"Um…"

She was talking to my dog. Wonderful.

"Yea…I'll get right on that." I'd had a pretty good month, so a bit of delivery was fine. I went to the phone and called in my usual order. Delivery took about twenty minutes, so I made sure River was settled and excused myself to my lab/sub-basement/cave-hole-thing.

After lighting the candles and slipping into my robe (Note to self: Need new robe) I pulled Bob out of my bag and set him on his shelf.

"Finally." He grumbled, eyes flickering to life. "Decide to start appreciating me yet?"

"Nope." I answered cheerfully, moving around the large table that stood in the center of the room. "Now, we need to find where River comes from, and the best way I can think of is to use a reverse tracking spell."

There was a brief pause, before Bob spoke. "You're going to try and use the original to find the bits?"

"Uh huh. And you're gonna help me."

"And how long do we have to work?"

"Pizza's here in twenty minutes."

"….Harry…are you feeling well?"

"Start thinking, Bob."

Bob sighed. "Got it, Boss."

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>"Harry, I think I figured it out." Bob's eyes glowed a little brighter. "Fix the imbalance by adding an extra layer"<p>

"Where, here?"

"Right there." He looked down at the sketch of the array I was doing. "Where you're intersecting the North."

"Oh…Right, that'll work." I made the change before examining the sketch. "I think…We're ready."

Bob nodded, clacking as he heard a knock at the door. "Just in time too. Pizza's here..."

I nod and head upstairs. It tookmaybe ten minutes to get everyone fed and sit River down for a quick talk.

"It won't work." She said quietly, when I was done explaining my plan."

I just shrugged. "It's a possibility. After all, I've never tried something like this…"

"Not that." River cut in. "Think you can follow the bits, sniff them out. But can't follow far enough. Can't lead home."

Well now, if that wasn't just ominous. I shake myself, clear my throat, and nod. "Well...I'm going to try."

River was quiet.

"Right then…come on."

I led the way down to the sub basement, moving past the table and towards my circle.

"An analog representation of the outside city?"

I glanced over my shoulder. River was staring at Little Chicago, taking in every detail.

"Uh, Yea. A lot of it. I use it for…"

"Searching. Finding. The large is linked to the small. Bate's theory of reflection and similarity."

I blinked. "The what now?"

River looked up, frowning. "Mistaken again…information isn't relevant. Lost the stars, found the sky, the city." She closed her eyes. "Can't be found. Simon can't reach here."

I moved over, filing away the name for later use as I led River over to the circle. "You need to stand here for a little while."

River nodded and froze, eyes still closed.

I did some thinking about Murphy's problem as I prepared. How I was going to help. It wasn't quite meditation, but it got me focused enough. And it helped me avoid thinking of the creepy feeling that crawled down my spine when River spoke like that.

"All right." I murmured, when everything was in place. After a brief pause, I stepped into the circle with her. Took a deep breath. "Stand still, keep calm, and don't break the circle."

A whisper of power and a drop of my blood was enough to activate the array. I started to chant nonsense syllables, meant to focus my intent.

It took another few minutes, but finally it was ready. "Localous." I whispered, whipping out a hand to release the energy that had been building in the circle. It flew out, swirling into a prepared crystal I had hanging from a leather cord.

Without waiting, I went and picked it up, letting it dangle over Little Chicago.

It swung to the right, and I followed it until it was pulled down with a slight glow. My apartment.

It traced the way back to the police station, stopping there for awhile.

And then to Michael's house.

I expected it to continue on in one direction.

Instead, it started to swing.

Pretty soon, it started to hover.

And then it was pulling on the cord, pointing up.

I blinked.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>"Okay…So, simplest explanation…She's an alien."<p>

I blinked.

"What?" Murphy shrugged. "You have any ideas?"

"Jeez, Murphy, I've seen some crazy stuff, but come on…Aliens?"

She looked considerate for a moment, then sighed. "Well then, did you do the spell wrong?"

I threw up my hands. "I wish I had! It would have made things so much easier." I shook my head. "But…That's not the reason we're here."

Murphy's expression sobered. "Right…I'm still in the loop, sort of, so I've got some basics. Ballistics came back on the bullet, but they found the gun on the rooftop. Completely clean, stolen, as close to untraceable as you can get."

I reached up to rub at my eyes, thinking. "Okay…I know a few things. Like, whoever pulled of the magic mine was not a lightweight. I'll have to check with my friends in the council to be sure, but there's a likelihood we're dealing with an unknown."

"And obviously someone who has it out for me."

"That too." I let out a deep breath, dropping my hands.

"You okay?" Murphy asked, looking worried. I didn't answer, and she continued. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

A pause. "Um…No?"

She sighed. "Dresden…"

"Yea, yea, I know..."

"Can I take your order?"

We both looked up at the sudden appearance of the waitress.

"Um…Yea…I'll have, umm…this one." I pointed at the menu, unwilling to bother trying to read it off. "Yea."

Murphy smirked. "The same."

"Oh, and, I guess, one of the kid's…things…"

The waitress frowned at the obvious lack of child. "Which one?"

Joy. More choices. I waved it off with a huff. "Surprise me."

The waitress raised an eyebrow but wrote down the order, took the menus, and walked off.

Murphy watched her go, then rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you insisted on meeting at IHOP."

I shifted in the booth, defensive. "I happened to be hungry."

She shook her head, smiling.

A few minutes later, the food came, and I dug in. Murphy followed suit, grabbing the pitcher of syrup to drench her pancakes.

There was a sudden noise, and we both looked up. River stood there, looking annoyed and sheepish.

"How'd it go?" Murphy said with a smile.

River glanced over her shoulder, fidgeting. "The machine was problematic."

I smirked, scooting over and letting River into the booth. I pushed her the plate with the smaller set of pancakes on it. She tucked in right away.

"See Murphy? What kind of alien would allow a claw machine to beat them?"

River looked up, chewing on a bite of food. "Alien…One who does not belong."

Murphy nodded. "Yea, but I think he meant Alien like Space alien." At River's vacant look, she frowned. "Not human. People from outer space. Fly around in spaceships and things."

River nodded back. "Like _Serenity_."

We both stopped eating. River just continued to chew, bringing another bite to her mouth.

"Serenity?"

River swallowed, cutting at the pancake but not looking up. "_Serenity_. Mid-bulk transport. Firefly class."

Silence fell over the table while we stared at River, who didn't seem to notice anything other than her pancakes.

"She could have come from a cargo ship." I said suddenly.

Murphy gave me a Look. "_You_ ever hear of a 'firefly'?"

I frowned. "I'm way outside the general knowledge thing." And I was. Stupid internet.

Murphy continued to give me that Look.

"You can't be thinking this Murph. It's stupid. I mean…"

"She knew my car was going to blow up."

I frowned. "That doesn't mean…"

"You told me she'd read your dog's mind and knew all about that little model in your basement. How do you explain that?"

I tapped the table, thinking. "Well, some kind of…Neuromancy." It was dangerous stuff, sure, and almost never worked out, but hey...

Murphy scoffed.

I growled. "Look, Murphy…There's something weird going on, but she's not an alien. She doesn't even look like an alien."

Murphy smiled suddenly. "Easy way to tell…River?"

River looked up, reaching for a glass of water.

"Are you from Earth?"

River tilted her head "Earth-that-was. The Sol System. The Milky way galaxy." A pause. "No."

I blinked.

"But my family can be traced back five hundred years to Asia Minor."

Murphy frowned, taking a second. "On…Earth-that-was."

River nodded.

I blinked again.

Murphy looked at me, expression unreadable.

"Um…River…Do you know where you are?"

River shook her head. "Constellations are unfamiliar. However, I am fairly certain, from the level of technology and geographical feature, that this _is_ Earth-that-was, before the great migration."

We stared for a bit longer, before I dropped my head against the table, the crack of wood against my skull drawing a few stares.

"I never should have answered the phone…"

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>'<em>Ivy, <em>

_Need to speak to you soon. Important matter._

_ Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden.'_

The note burned easily, and I settled back for the wait.

After what happened at the restaurant, I decided it would be smart to get a hold of some information, fast. So, Murphy took River back to Father Forthill's, and I went home to contact an omniscient twelve year old.

Fun fun fun.

My phone finally rang, and I jumped for it.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Dresden?"

I recognized the voice instantly, smiling slightly. "Hey Ivy."

"You said it was important?"

"Yea, I wondered if you could check a couple things for me…"

"Harry, I must remind you, _and_ the council, that I am a neutral party in this affair. Out of necessity."

Uh...okay. "What?"

I could hear her frown. "You're not calling to barter for Red Court intelligence?"

I...hadn't ever thought of that before…dammit.

Too late now to call in a favor.

"Erm, no, Ivy. This isn't council business. Personal only. I need to look someone up."

"Mm. Name?"

"River Tam." Murphy and I had procured River's last name after several minutes of careful questions.

The reply was immediate and simple.

"No record."

"…What?" Ivy knew _everything _that was written. How could she not know…

"There is no River Tam on any written record."

"How is that possible?"

"Perhaps a fake name?"

I shook my head. "Girl wasn't lying." I sighed. "Okay then…How about a ship." I focused, remembering what River had called it. "_Serenity_. A, uh…Firefly class, mid-bulk transport."

Ivy took a second this time. "Uhhuh…Serenity has so many hits its ridiculous, but there aren't any that correlate with the rest."

"Oh…"

"But there is reference to the ship…yes, it's a concept design for a spacecraft, designed by one…Joseph Mandell. And posted on his website. Rather crude, really…"

Yet another moment of shock. "It's an actual _spaceship_?"

"A concept of one, yes." Ivy reminded. "Now…Anything else?"

I reached up to run a hand over my face.

There was a pause.

"Is there anything leading someone to kill Murphy?"

Ivy was quiet, then, "Give me a minute."

The minute passed quickly.

"One print. That's all I can find, Harry…I didn't even see the police report until just now…I should have seen it earlier, been looking…"

"Whoa, Ivy, calm down…I mean, you can't possibly be thinking about all of it at once…" Jeez, I kept getting some shocking reminders that The Archive was still just a little kid. "Now…what is it?"

Ivy swallowed. "There was a letter. Addressed to a P.O box in Chicago. In it was a set of simple instructions on payment and where to find Karrin…enclosed with it was a check for four million dollars."

I blinked.

And coughed.

"Four million?"

Ivy swallowed. "Tracing now…account and funds are clean. Nothing on official record that would suggest something was wrong. The money would have been transferred and verified as a legal transaction. No government would notice anything."

I shook my head. This was…bad. Very bad. Someone with _that_ kind of money, _that_kind of power, gunning for Murphy…

"I'm sorry Harry. That's all I have."

I rubbed my eyes, nodding. "Yea…Thanks Ivy."

"Of course." I heard a small sniffle. "Bye Harry."

I forced a smile into my voice. "Bye Ivy."

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>"Yea, that's everything."<p>

Murphy said a bad word.

"My thoughts exactly."

I heard her fidgeting for a moment before speaking again. "Okay, so we have a possibly extra terrestrial girl flying around in a ship that's nothing but a drawing by some geek in their mom's basement…"

"I told you Murph, she could have just seen the thing. Thought it looked cool…"

"And just decided to build a fantasy around it, huh? Come on, Dresden, you're not stupid...

I frowned, shifted my grip on the phone. "Word can hurt, you know." She snorted, and I shook my head. "Look, this isn't important right now…we have to figure out who's throwing away money to hire a practitioner to take you out."

Murphy went quiet.

"I thought so…so…let's talk."

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>River watched the guardian. Watched as the rust crept onto the shield. Watched as the light burned away the rust, missing more spots every time.<p>

She was upset, because of what she was hearing. Fear crept around her, and images of Harry flashed in her mind.

Of a Harry that wasn't.

A Harry that burned.

A Harry that maimed and destroyed fantastic creatures, every day.

And an image. Of a Harry with old, old eyes. Destroying and creating. It was beautiful. It was horrible.

River turned away.

The angel was too bright. Broke in through the shattered remains of her mind, stabbed her thoughts through her eyes.

"Brother…Simon…" She held her head in her hands, rocking back and forth as the sounds assaulted her senses. "She doesn't belong, doesn't fit…Doesn't fit here, doesn't fit there…Always falling through the cracks…"

Murphy glanced over, frowning. "Hey, Harry…yea, I'll call you back…it's River. I need to check on her…yea."

She hung up, walking over to the distraught girl, reaching out to lay a hand on her shoulder.

"River…River, sweetie…what's wrong?"

She suppressed a shiver as the girl looked up at her, eyes shining out from behind her bangs.

"She's broken. Fell too far, and shattered when she landed. The Earth isn't friendly. Too bright…" Her eyes closed, and she pulled her legs up onto the simple cot she was sitting on, curling in on herself. Her breathing quickened, and she was shaking. "The girl belongs in The Black. Where it's quiet. Dark. Nothing to speak but the stars and _Serenity_…"

Murphy was worried now, wondering if, perhaps, the girl was having some sort of episode. She prepared to call Father Forthill just in case. "River, calm down…"

"I can't calm down. Can't change. The secrets left broken walls. Always whispering, scratching at the pieces…they all want in…make them stop…" River was sobbing now, and she started to scratch at her head. "Make them go away! Make them STOP!"

Murphy grabbed River's hands, pressing them down to the cot, holding them there. "River…River!" She used her 'cop' voice, trying to calm the frantic girl. "River, what's wrong!"

River stopped suddenly.

She looked up.

Blinked.

Murphy let go, sat up. River stood.

"There's a bad apple, fell from the tree." She looked around, eyes widening. "Found its place, sprung a deadly sapling. Roots drinking up blood."

Murphy blinked twice, then took to her feet as well, moving to stand in front of River. "Hey, why don't you just sit down…"

"There isn't the time. The circle must be squared, and the hawk cannot comply."

"Babbling incoherently is not a good sign, River…"

Murphy grunted as _something_ slammed into her stomach, knocking her back several feet.

She watched as River walked out, taking her service weapon from the table she'd been sitting at as she went.

"Nnnngg…." She groaned, forcing herself to stand up, stagger to the door. Locked.

"Dammit."

Murphy looked around, moving quickly to the phone.

She had to call Harry.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>"Murph, Murphy, just…just slow down, alright? Take a deep breath…Okay now, go over that again."<p>

She did.

I swore.

She agreed.

I pulled my hand over my face, taking a deep breath. "So…We have an unstable...possibly extraterrestrial..." I'm leaving something out, I think. "Uh..._psychic_ teenager running around Chicago...with a gun."

"I think we established that with 'Harry, she ran out and took my gun'."

"Who's the smartass here?" I frowned, shifting slightly. "I'll go look for her. You stay there."

I could almost hear her bristling. "Harry, I can help."

"And leave yourself open to your assassin."

She was silent.

"Just stay there. I'll find her in no time."

"You'd better. That's _my _gun. If anything happens..."

"I'll call when I have her." I assure her. I'm not sure if it worked, because she just growls and hangs up. I scratch at my head, then move to collect my things.

My staff, blasting rod, coat, and shield bracelet all went on. I turned out the lights, whistled for Mouse, and hooked him onto the leash before pushing out of the door.

Mouse would be able to follow her a bit. I still had a bit of her hair (Which I snagged when she wasn't looking), so if worse came to worse, I could track her that way. I hoped she would go to one of the places we knew…

Then again…

I avoided my car for some reason. Maybe it was a bit of paranoia. Either way, it was fine for now. Walking tended to be more thorough.

I decided maybe it hadn't been my smartest idea ever.

I sat down on the curb, resting my barking dogs.

My mercifully _quiet_ dog sat next to me, letting out a deep breath before letting out a little growl.

That was worrying…he didn't usually growl.

I looked around, casting out with my senses. There wasn't anything near me. And Mouse had quieted down…well then.

I stood again. Only a couple more blocks to Michael's house…

I'd made it a whole half step before getting tackled from behind.

There was a shout, which may have been me, as I went down. Something heavy was on my back, pulling at my coat. I cursed.

The weight vanished as a savage growl rent the air. My faithful dog.

I pushed myself up, spinning to face my threat.

It looked like a monkey. Covered in large stony scales. With huge teeth and wicked claws. Mouse was wrestling with it, pushing it back.

I let out a high whistle, and my dog dropped back. At the same time, my blasting rod whipped out and the creature snarled.

"Fuego!"

The shaft of flame flew out, splashing wildly against the creature.

The thing just snarled some more and started moving forward.

"Oh, wonderful…Mouse!"

Discretion being the better part of valor, I ran like a sissy little girl.

Towards Michael's house of course. I may have been a sissy little girl, but I was a tactically responsible etc...and after all, what was the use of having a friend that's a big, bad Knight of the Cross if not to scare off the random attacking spiritual predators?

Mouse ran on ahead of me, barking the whole way. I smiled...then remembered the old saying about not having to outrun the shark...just the other guy in the water.

"Ah jeez…" I poured it on as I heard the clattering behind me.

So close…I could see the house. Michael was walking out the door, eyes wide. He had the sword with him. Good man. Recognized Mouse's bark for the warning it was.

There was a pressure on my shoulders, and suddenly I couldn't balance. Damn thing had jumped me. I went down _hard_, which is never fun. Especially considering what I was running on (Asphalt. Ever had road burn?).

I could practically feel its jaws around my neck. It would be over quick, probably before I knew it. Michael was too far away to help. There was no way…

BANG!

I jerked, and so did the thing on top of me.

BANG! BANGBANG!

Three more jerks from the creature, and suddenly the weight vanished. I scrambled away, stumbling to my feet and spinning around. The thing was writhing on the ground, gouts of white fire pouring from several wounds.

I looked over my shoulder to the source of the gunshots…and saw River. Holding Murphy's gun. Her eyes were locked on the creature, and she stepped forward easily, passing me and moving toward it.

"Whoa, kid, back off, that thing's…"

Her hand snapped around like a marionette's, and suddenly, that gun was pointed at me. Somewhere in the back of my head I must have realized there were still bullets in it, because I shut up quick.

She continued to approach the creature, eyes glued to it...gun still pointed at me. When she reached it, the weapon dropped, hanging limply in her hand. She crouched next to the thing, watching it twist and turn.

It snapped up suddenly, like a striking snake. I thought for sure she was dead.

But she'd caught it by the neck, holding it there while it struggled. She was still staring at it, eyes wide, as if trying to see in complete darkness. Her head tilted to the side, and she whispered something.

The creature stopped, and stood still. She let it go, and it sat there.

I blinked.

She continued to stare at it, that expression still in place. I vaguely noticed Michael standing beside me, figured his face looked a lot like mine. Covered in shock.

After another minute or so of this staring, River pulled the gun up and rested the barrel carefully on the thing's forehead. There was another loud bang, and the thing went up in white fire, vanishing a moment later.

She turned to look at me, expression unreadable.

"It was a pawn." She whispered. "Escape the check, sacrifice the pawn, take the knight. But the bishop took it first, unexpected. King is weakened, a hole in his defense." I could feel her eyes burning into me, and I quickly averted my gaze. I didn't want to see the in her head. "The knight must move to protect the queen. Must take the chance of failure and attack the king." She blinked. "Checkmate."

"Hell's bells, kid." I breathed. "You really know how to make things difficult, don't you?"

River just gave an enigmatic smile.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>"Yea, she's fine. Uhhuh. Course, I'll get it back to you. No, I'll tell you about it later…" There was a crackle of static, and I winced. "Yea Murph, I gotta go…I'll check by later. Yea. See you."<p>

I sighed and set down the receiver, leaning back and rubbing my eyes.

"River…Please don't do that."

River looked down, frowning.

She was hanging from a rafter, by her knees. Apparently very comfortable.

"I needed a new perspective."

I gave her a Look.

She rolled her eyes and arched back, unhooking her legs at the same time. She landed in a graceful crouch, standing up and turning on her heel to face me.

"Why is it you've suddenly decided it's perfectly acceptable to do impossible things?"

River tilted her head. "I miss _Serenity_. Dancing in the hold." She smiled. "Running from Kaylee because I took her apple."

I sighed. "So you're sticking with your 'Space person from the future' story."

River smiled. "Story doesn't change unless it wants to."

"Uh-huh…" I closed my eyes again, yawning. I hadn't really slept in awhile, other than the couple hours I'd grabbed the night before. Time had sort of muddled together at some point.

"Well…" I yawned, "…I still need to get into contact with the White Council…tell them about the new spell slinger in town…"

Blackness closed over me unexpectedly. And I slept for a time.

At some point the real world intruded again. I shifted, grumbling slightly. Though the haze of sleep, I heard talking.

"No. The circle must not exceed the area of the equation."

"Young lady, let me tell you something. While mathematics isn't really my forte', I've been putting together magical arrays since before you were born."

"I am under negative four hundred years old."

"…So the circle has to fit that?"

"The circle must be squared."

"Of course it must." There was a clacking. "You know, I don't think Harry will enjoy waking up to this…"

"…I needed space to work."

More clacking. "All right then…Where were we?"

I drifted again.

When I drifted into consciousness again, it was dark, only a few of my candles lit. I could hear talking again…

"Shouldn't we wait for Harry's help?"

"The magus is not required. The wormhole will be self sustaining, gathering energy from the ambient space."

"Doesn't it require a ridiculous amount of energy?"

"Designed to capture little bits from what can handle it. Range is approximately twenty two thousand miles."

"…That's a lot."

"Physics is pliable."

I blinked several times and pushed myself up.

What I saw just confused me more.

The furniture in the middle of my apartment had been pushed against the walls, the carpets pulled up to reveal the stone floor.

And the floor was covered with chalk lines.

What looked to be hundreds of complicated mathematical equations, several strange pictograms, and in the center of it all…a circle.

River stood in the circle, examining what was apparently her work.

"Hello." She said simply, not even bothering to look up.

"Heh…hey boss…" Bob's eyes flickered slightly from his spot on the floor. "Ms. Tam sorta…requested my assistance."

My eyes were wide as I looked around, standing up. "What are you doing! What is this!"

River looked up, expression bland. "Took what I needed. Found it in your mind, the mind of Rath'ghealt. Applied it to what I knew, and formed it into a cohesive whole." She nudged the skull by her side. "Your familiar helped."

"Bob?"

"Well, you see, Harry…it should actually work."

I growled. "And just what is 'It'?"

Bob clacked his teeth nervously. "Seems to rip a tiny hole in time and space."

I gave him an incredulous look. "Oh, is that all?" I shook my head. "Isn't that, oh I dunno…a _bad_ thing? Not to mention _completely_ disregarding the laws..."

"She'll be able to go back to _Serenity_. The rip will be harmless and undetectable."

Without waiting for an answer, she stepped out of the circle, picked up Bob, and drew a single line between a set of numbers.

Lighting seemed to arc up from the central array, stopping at a point three feet above what I could only assume was the exact center. Another flash of energy hit the same spot, and the chalk drawings started to glow. One more flash, and a small tear began to open up in the air.

The room shook as several more flashed tore it wider, until the rip was a good three feet long. It sat there, light distorting around it, bits of dust swirling around before sliding inside.

It looked like fractured glass, except for the edges. They were softer, curved, giving it the look of something almost alive.

It was disturbing.

And River stepped towards it.

"Don't worry, Mr. Dresden. I'll be fine."

I took a step forward, reaching out. "River, wait…"

She stepped into the tear and seemed to implode, vanishing.

The rip started to seal around the edges, the dust in the air getting pulled toward it like a black hole.

I took several steps forward, snarling as I picked up Bob.

"Wait, Harry…_Harry_, you can't seriously be considering…"

"Dammit Bob, just shut up."

I squinted at the thing before stepping forward into it.

I blacked out.


	2. Chapter 2

When I came to, I was very confused.

I know, I should probably have expected something to be confusing about stepping through a rip in space and time, but it's one of those things you just don't plan for.

I groaned and sat up, rubbing my head while I looked around. I was lying in the middle of a very large room, metal floors, metal walls, metal catwalks... The lights were dim enough to hide detail, but I could make out the forms of boxes and crates.

…

I stood up, looking around. The room was empty. No sign of River, or Bob. Strange…

I decided the best thing to do would be to do a little snooping.

It took a little bit to even out my steps, something I always had to deal with after taking a blow to the head, but I managed to make it up the strairway and onto the catwalk. It led off in two directions…I chose left.

The door held me up for a minute, before I figured out you had to slide it open. Not weird at all…

Down the corridor I went, heading toward the slightly brighter light at the end. I entered into a large room, of normal height. A kitchen and dining room, with a little alcove in one corner, seats with safety harnesses.

I heard a clunking and spun around, eyes wide.

A woman stood there. She was dressed in coveralls, pulled down to her waist, and a tank top covered in oil stains. Her hair was messily pulled back in a ponytail, bits of it still falling over her freckled face.

She frowned. "Well, what're you doin' in here?"

I blinked, holding up my hands defensively, and was about to respond...

...when she moved past me, picking up what looked to be a wrench from the table.

"Been lookin' for _you _for awhile now. Wonder how ya ended up in here…"

She walked off, down another hallway.

I stood there, eyes wide.

Had she…had she not seen me?

I walked after her, trying to keep up. When I reached her, my jaw dropped open.

She was wiping at her brow, pulling at a bolt with the wrench. The bolt was attached to some kind of component, which was attached to the wall. Wiring from all over led to the center of the room, where a large, very complex looking machine spun wildly.

"What the hell is that thing!"

There was no answer from the other occupant of the room. I turned, and frowned again. Could she _really_ not see me? Or hear me?

I reached out to tap her shoulder, try and get her attention…then pulled back with a jerk as my fingers passed through her. My eyes went wide and I quickly wrapped my other hand around them as much as possible. At the same time, the woman spun around, looking surprised.

"Hello?" She called out after a second.

"Can you hear me?" I asked quickly, sounding hopeful.

"Hellooooo?"

That would be a no.

"Come on…this isn't funny…who's there? Wash?"

When no answer came, she turned around, shuddering slightly. "Downright creepifyin'…"

Wonderful.

I turned and headed back down the corridor to continue my exploration. I passed through the dining room again, this time choosing a door on the right. I walked slowly, keeping an eye out for more people.

There were several sections of the wall with ladders that led nowhere, names painted on over them. More confusion.

There was another door ahead, and I pulled it open, stepping into the room.

Two seats, surrounded by consoles of what looked like navigation systems. I was surprised they were still running…I tended to wreak havoc on things like this, especially from this kind of distance…

That thought was expelled when I caught sight of the windows.

"Stars and stones…"

Outside stretched a black void, sprinkled with pinpricks of light.

Stars.

I was in space.

On a ship…in space.

I was in a space ship.

I was in a _freaking_ space ship.

The kid hadn't been lying. She really was from the future. And she'd cut a hole in reality to get back home.

That mind-numbing realization spawned several questions.

Like 'how did she end up in Chicago in the first place?', or maybe 'how am I supposed to get home now?' and, of course, everyone's favorite, 'Why couldn't that person see me?'.

The most immediate question, of course, was 'Who is this guy kicking back in what is probably the pilot's seat, fiddling around with Bob's skull?'.

Ah, the glorious life of a professional wizard.

"Captain?"

I jumped aside as a young man appeared in the doorway. The one in the chair turned around, standing. "She awake?"

The newcomer nodded. "You told me to come get you…"

"Right, then what're we waitin' for?"

They walked out and, after a moment, I followed them.

Down the halls, through the dining room, down another hall I hadn't yet explored. They turned a corner, went down a small flight of steps, and entered a room with large windows looking in.

River sat on what looked to be a hospital bed, in the center of the room. She seemed uneasy, but her eyes held a sharpness I'd only seen a couple of times.

I slid inside, skirting the wall to stay out of the way of the men. The younger was smiling slightly, approaching River like you would a skittish animal. "Told you I'd be right back." He said, voice low. "How're you feeling?"

River took a deep breath, looking around. "It feels less fractured. _Serenity_ binds." She gave a twitch of a smile to the man in front of her. "Missed Simon."

The younger man, Simon, I assumed, smiled back. "I missed you too, Mei mei."

"Doc? If you don't mind?"

Simon frowned, but stepped back. River turned to the man, her smile still there. "Malcolm Reynolds. There has been no change. She was successful in her failure."

The man, Malcolm, blinked. "What now?"

River nodded. "Due to a miscalculation, had to reroute through Serenity Valley. The possibility stood for a change of outcome." She turned to me. "Serenity Valley was a loss, and our presence could have swayed the tide of battle. Changed history."

My eyes bugged out, and I coughed. "You can see me!"

River nodded again, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Of course."

Malcolm looked past me, then to Simon. "Can you conjure any particular reason for her conversin' with the wall?"

Simon frowned. "River, are you feeling well?"

River nodded yet again. "Yes." She looked back to me. "They can't see you. Not equipped. Brains are filtering your aura."

Translation: There's weird stuff going on and my explanations are cryptic and useless.

"Okay Doc…I think maybe she's not quite up to being awake yet."

Translation: I don't think she's stable, put her under.

I growled and stepped forward, ready to stop them if they tried something.

"Don't worry, Mr. Dresden. Simon is trusted. Only wants me to sleep."

Simon blinked as he dug in a bag. "I think you're right, Captain." He pulled out a syringe, slowly approaching River and sticking her arm with it. Her eyes fluttered, and she slumped. Simon quickly caught her and lowered her to the bed.

Malcolm rolled Bob's skull around in his hands, looking thoughtful.

"Not a word." He said suddenly. "Don't need to go worryin' the crew none. Best they're left in the dark for a spell."

Simon looked uncertain, but nodded. "Of course."

I glared at him as he walked out, but followed anyway.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>The 'night' passed. I quickly became familiar with the layout of the ship (obviously due to my years of detective work). I realized something very strange, however, the first time I tried to search a room. I opened the door, rifled around for a bit, then turned away. When I looked back, the door was closed. I turned a quick circle to see if someone had snuck in, and found room untouched.<p>

Through a bit of deductive reasoning, and a bit of wild speculation, I guessed I didn't actually interact with anything. I just thought I did.

That could get annoying.

But it also made a good point of research. Maybe that was how ghosts felt…

The crew stirred eventually, and I got to know them over breakfast. A breakfast I neither wanted nor needed to take part in. A part of it was that I wasn't hungry.

A bigger part was what the food looked like.

Being insubstantial had its perks, I guessed.

Kaylee, the mechanic I'd scared, was just as bubbly as she looked. And quite obviously (though maybe I'm biased, being a detective) had a thing for the doctor on the ship.

Zoë, second in command. Held herself well. Disciplined. Pegged her for a cop or soldier, if they still had those things.

Jayne, the resident weapon nut. Didn't really scare me. I'd seen bigger monkeys…

Inara, a woman of masked expression and unspecified duties (I tried _really_ hard not to speculate. Really, I did.).

Wash, Zoë's husband and pilot. Definitely a joker. Reminded me a little of Ramirez, actually.

'Book', the 'shepherd' (I figured priest from the collar). Reminded me a lot of Forthill.

Simon hadn't shown up for the meal. The Captain, (Mal, apparently. I can't blame the guy for wanting the name shortened), was there, and answered questions on River's condition.

Said she hadn't woken up yet.

The 'day' went by slowly, as I had nothing better to do than shadow some crew member as they performed some menial task or passed the time. Apparently, space travel was mostly about patience.

Impatient, I went back to see River.

I was sitting next to the girl when she woke up again. Simon rushed over, careful as usual, like she was a china doll.

"River." He smiled at her, helping her sit up. "Did you sleep well."

River glanced at me, and I put my finger to my lips, shaking my head.

She smiled and nodded. "Feeling better now." Her stomach rumbled, and she looked down, frowning. "I require sustenance."

Simon blinked, raising a brow as he processed that. "Oh…right. I'll just go get you something to eat." He started out, but paused at the doorway, turning back. "You're sure you're okay?"

River nodded again, smiling disarmingly. "You shouldn't worry so much."

Simon smiled back and walked out. River's expression slid off her face.

"He doesn't know what to do. It frustrates him."

I shook my head. "It's obvious he means well."

River gave a slight nod. "He's still like the crew, though. They tiptoe around, for fear of being notice. Kaylee, Inara, Wash, and the Shepherd are full of pity. Simon is worry. Mal is watchful." She paused, tilting her head. "Jayne thinks they should put a bullet to me. Collect the bounty."

I nodded again, quiet for a moment. "You're much more lucid than before."

River gave an almost contented sigh, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. "_Serenity_ helps. Sings to me. And it's much more quiet out here, in the black. Easier to ignore the whispers."

I fell silent again, then shrugged. "So…care to explain how nobody can see me?"

River sighed. "It is complex."

"Try me."

She swung her feet for a moment. "You aren't here."

I blinked. "What?"

"Your mind is here, but you are merely a reflection. Held together and tethered to your body by your power."

I blinked again. "So I'm…like a ghost?"

River nodded.

"And I left my body…back in my apartment."

River nodded again. "Temporal variation will ensure survival. You need not worry."

"Damn…"

"Resonance is the deciding factor." She held up a hand to stave off the question on the tip of my tongue. "I'm receptive to your aura, so I can perceive you. They cannot."

"So you're definitely a psychic."

River sighed. "They stripped away at the layers, removed the filters. I hear, but I hear all. Can't choose, like they wanted."

I shook my head. "Who?"

River blinked several times, a sort of haze drifting into her expression.

"Two by two." She whispered. "Hands of blue."

"River?"

We both turned to see Simon standing in the doorway, a tray of food in his hands.

"I brought you your favorite." He said, sounding slightly sarcastic. "Protein packs."

River made an 'ungh' face, and I was suddenly glad I didn't need to eat.

I sighed, and took a seat, resting my head in my hands. It seemed like the only way to get out of this was to talk to River about it.

I was going to have to wait it out.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>I was becoming rather irked at my current predicament. It was 'irked' and not 'pissed' because I'm a wizard, and we must maintain some kind of mystique...it really isn't important. Nevermind.<p>

So far, the only idea I had on getting home was to talk to River. After all, she'd been the one to get me here. But it seemed like somebody upstairs (downstairs? Sideways? Space travel, mucking with perception since 21-something or other) was against me, because she was _never_ alone.

I couldn't believe it. If it wasn't her overprotective brother, it was another member of the crew. Even when she tried to sneak away, she was caught. It was starting to get ridiculous. It didn't help that I couldn't contact Bob. The Captain, Mal, seemed to find the skull a curiosity. The fact that River refused to say anything about what had happened, or why the skull had been found next to her, only made it worse. Apparently, the man liked a mystery.

I sighed as I looked down at the crew, bustling around in the hold, playing some sort of game with a ball and a hanging hoop. There appeared to be teams, but as to rules…I just couldn't figure it out.

"There aren't rules."

Can't deny it. I jumped.

River had a bad habit of sneaking up on people. Apparently, I was one of them. She was sitting on the catwalk, her feet swinging in the air, chin resting on the lower bar. But for the life of me, I couldn't tell you how long she'd been there...

"You want to talk with me." She said simply, not looking away from the game. "Weren't able to."

I ignore the 'creepifying' feeling brought on by her foreknowlege, shake my head. "It'd be nice if I could figure out how to get home."

River sighed. "It's not as simple from this side. Before, there was already a rift. The construct merely tapped into it. But it closed. The door must be opened again. This is…Problematic."

"Why?"

Another sigh, and River glanced up at me. "Strings are frayed. Need to rest. Straining…tearing. Traveling through the rift is not good."

I thought for a moment, then frowned. She couldn't filter things, she said. And traveling through something like that…there was every possibility…

"I'm sorry."

River shook her head. "It's not your fault. The blue sun did this. The school that wasn't. Made her a reader. She wasn't meant to be." A sigh. "And now the whispers wear her down, take her energy."

I scuffed my heel, watching the game for a bit before deciding I should probably get things back on track.

"So you need to rest? And then you can help me with the spell?"

River nodded again, but then shook her head. "Need supplies as well. From this side, the construct must be far more solid."

I blinked.

"So it's not going to be easy?"

River smirked. "It's never easy, is it?"

I gave a wry smile. "Never." I looked around. "So what do we need? And where will we get it?"

River tapped her heels together. "We're stopping on Persephone in a few days. It is probable that we will be able to find what is needed there."

I paused for a moment. "And this…Persephone…it's…"

"Another planet, yes. There are many terraformed in this system."

"Yea…I'm not going to be getting used to that."

River just smiled some more.

A second later, I heard boots on metal, to my right.

"And who're you talkin' to?"

I looked around to see Mal, looking past me with a raised eyebrow.

"Harry Dresden." River answered from behind me.

Mal's raised eyebrow went a little higher, and he stepped past me, to lean on the railing next to River.

"Got yerself an imaginary friend there?"

River shook her head. "Not imaginary. Just not here."

Mal shook his head. "You know, I never understand half of what comes out of your mouth?"

River smiled enigmatically. "Do you not? Or do you just not want to?"

Mal blinked. "Um…no?"

River shook her head. "Malcolm Reynolds…" She looked up. "You are being rather rude."

Mal frowned now. "Because I don't understand what you're talkin' about?"

"No. You didn't greet my friend." She gave a pointed look in my direction.

Mal's expression became amused and he looked around 'at' me. "Oh, well, forgive me." The sarcasm was subtle but still there. "I suppose a friend of yours would expect a proper greetin'." He held out a hand. "Nice to meet you."

I glanced at River, who smirked at me.

Well…it would be rude of me not to…

I reached out and wrapped my insubstantial hand around his, holding it _just_ right, so it would connect but not pass through.

The guy's reaction was priceless.

He jumped nearly a foot in the air and yanked his hand back, letting out a stream of some oriental sounding language.

River just smiled at him as he whirled to glare at her, shrugging. "I told you."

Mal fumed for a moment before walking off, muttering. "Gorram crazy is catching…"

I laughed then, and River laughed with me.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>I remember SplatterCon! (Never forget the three exclamation points).<p>

A giant building packed with hundreds of people. Hot, more than a little stifled. Lots of weird sounds and sights.

Turns out, Persephone was just like that. Only with more grit, and spaceships. And making it even more confusing was the fact that every other sign was written in Chinese, and every other person spoke it.

I, of course, neither read nor spoke the language. It was like being a tourist. A very confused, insubstantial tourist.

"Come on!" River called, causing the others to look at her strangely. I very much appreciated the call, however, and rushed forward, sliding past people as much as possible, throw them when it was unavoidable.

A few minutes of walking, and everyone stopped at an intersection.

"Right." Mal glanced around, nodding. "Jayne, you're comin' with me to see Badger. Zoë, take River around, find some supplies. Kaylee's got the mule ready for when you need pickup."

"Got it cap'n." Zoë put a hand on River's shoulder, looking down at the girl. "You ready to haggle?"

River smirked. "Yes."

"Right then. Meet back at the ship in three hours."

We split up. I followed River and Zoë, despite my curiosity toward the captain's business.

"River?"

"Mmhmm?"

"…What is that?"

River looked up, then back down at the object in her hands. "Metallic representation of air."

"Looks like it costs a pretty penny. Why don't you put it down so we can move on?"

"We need it." River said simply, clutching the piece closer.

Zoë raised an eyebrow. "We need a gold plated feather?"

River nodded.

I nodded too.

Zoë blinked. "Is this one of those things you're going to not let go?"

River nodded.

"I'm not paying for it."

"All right."

"…You're not leaving it here, are you?"

River shook her head.

Zoë sighed, then nodded. "Come on then. And hide the thing well enough."

River smiled and tucked the feather away in her dress. I smirked and followed them out.

"What in the Gorram hell _is_ all this! I sent you out to get supplies, not blow our funds on trinkets!"

Zoë looked up, hefting a small crate off the mule. "Didn't spend a dollar on them."

That didn't seem to calm Mal very much. "You sayin' you _stole_ all this stuff?"

"It is necessary." River spoke up from where she sat, her acquisitions for the day set up around her in a little semicircle. The golden feather, a bottle of wine, an elaborate candle, five smaller, simpler candles, and a crystal that, when set on it's base and placed in the sunlight, sent little spots of rainbow flying all over the hold.

And those were only the necessities. There were about twenty other odds and ends, most of them small and difficult to identify.

Mal blinked. "For what, exactly?"

River smiled at him. "That would be telling."

Mal opened his mouth for a retort, obviously thought better of arguing with her, and quickly turned to leave. Zoë shook her head, looking a little amused. River looked to me and giggled. I went ahead and laughed, too.

This wasn't so bad.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>This wasn't good. Something about this plan just made me uneasy.<p>

"I thought the plan was to send _me _back."

River nodded, but continued to write on the floor of the hold (I wasn't exactly sure when she'd gotten the chalk).

"So why is this array elaborate enough for two people?"

River looked up, then around at the array.

Most of the floor was covered with equations and symbols, with some of the odds and ends scattered in key places. The circle in the center was almost complete, the elemental representations in place. I'd only just now noticed it was far too complex for just snapping me back into my body.

"I'm going too."

Okay…

"Why!"

River shook her head. "I cannot tell you. There are balances that must not be upset."

"We just got you back home!"

"And I will be able to return easily."

I sighed, then nodded. Best to just go along with it…

"What about Bob?"

We both froze at the realization, and shared a look, surprised. Well, I was surprised. She had this expression that sort of said…'I'm the genius, but I can't handle everything. You're a slacker, now let's hurry up and fix the problem you caused.'.

Don't look at me like that, I call 'em like I see 'em.

…

Whatever…It was there.

River stood, padding easily across the floor, managing to avoid all the chalk lines. I just walked over it. Couldn't affect it.

We made our way through the ship until we reached Mal's door. River turned and shushed me, to which I rolled my eyes. She glared, then turned and pushed the door open, dropping inside without a sound.

I took the ladder.

The lights were dim, but I could make out Mal's sleeping form on the bed, the covers tossed and rumpled. Guy must not be a quiet sleeper…

River glided around the bed, snatched Bob's skull off a shelf, and moved back towards the door. I let out a sigh of relief, turning to go back up the ladder.

Then the lights came on.

We turned, and stared wide eyed at the bed. An alarm went off.

"Its morning!" I hissed, looking around.

River gave me a sheepish smile. "Preparations took longer than expected."

I groaned, then turned to rush up the ladder. When I reached the top, I heard Mal snuffling, and a quiet "River!"

River hopped up after me, and we ran through the halls. River took and impressive leap from the catwalk to the hold floor, turning and freaking flip in the air before landing in a crouch.

I went down the stairs. Action hero, I am not.

She was already starting up the array when I got there, and the lines had started to glow.

"You must go through first." River said quickly, looking around. "I'll follow with Bob."

Bob, who was currently awake.

"BOSS!" He cried, eyes flashing to life. "It's so good to see you! I wasn't sure what I'd end up doing if I was stuck with that guy for another day! Tossing my skull around like some sort of ball…I was getting seasick! _Seasick_! Can you _imagine_..."

"Bob! Not now!" I looked around, willing the thing to work.

The rip formed, and I smiled.

There was a long stream of Chinese cursing from behind us, and we turned to see Mal and Zoë, Jayne stumbling in behind them.

"What are you doing!" He shouted, eyes wide.

River just sighed and looked to me. "Go!"

I didn't need to be told twice. I jumped through.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>Malcolm Reynolds was pretty secure with the laws of nature, even to the point of being fine with the fact he didn't know everything about them. He knew that you couldn't survive in space because of the vacuum. He knew that something heavy would fall hard, and that something light would fall soft. Mostly because of air resistance.<p>

But when confronted with a hole in the air, he was speechless.

River ignored his question, instead turning to speak to someone who wasn't there. The hole flashed a moment later, and started to close.

River glanced back up at him, then leapt through the hole. It vanished.

A few details made their way into his mind at that point, such as the fact that she had been carrying the skull. And that all the things River had stolen were sitting around, amidst a bunch of chalk.

"What the…"

He looked to Zoë, who shook her head. Jayne was just staring stupidly. A quick shake of the head, and he moved down the stairs to look around.

A few minutes of useless searching later, he stated the obvious.

"She's gone."

"Noticed Sir."

Mal nodded, then looked around. "Any idea's how she did it?"

Zoë raised an eyebrow, then scuffed at some of the chalk markings with her toe. "Looks like math."

Mal blinked. "She made herself vanish…"

"With math." Zoë finished.

Mal was quiet.

"That Gorram math _go'se_ is just creepy."

Zoë and Mal jut stared at him, and his frown became defensive.

"What!"

Mal shook his head, the looked around, rubbing the back of his neck. "All right…Let's go find Simon and let him know his sister vanished again…"

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>I woke up feeling fuzzy. I think I may have mentioned not liking head injuries? Yea…there's a reason for that.<p>

"Urk…"

That's about as coherent a sound I could make. Apparently it was enough. I pinpointed some movement nearby, and heard the snuffling of my dog. I took that as a sign that I was safe.

A moment later, I felt a cool hand on my forehead, and heard a quiet voice ask if I was okay. I couldn't tell who it was at the moment, my jumbled thoughts not really allowing for much in the way of, well, thinking.

"Harry…come on…I know you're awake…"

Ah. Murphy. Okay…

I opened my eyes, blinking as the world blurred.

"That's right…come on…"

I blinked again and focused on the blur that Murphy's voice was coming from. "Whas goinon?"

She seemed about to answer, but then something snapped by head to the side. I groaned again, but after the stars stopped flashing in front of me, my vision cleared. I could see Murphy, and she was glaring at River.

The girl looked sheepish, shrugging. "There was a problem with visual reception…a jolt was necessary."

Murphy opened her mouth, but I reached out to poke her hand. "Kid knows her stuff." I got my arm under me and pushed myself into a sitting position, looking around. We were in my house, in my bedroom, to be exact.

I was home…

"What happened?"

Murphy shook her head. "I was coming to check on you. Hadn't heard anything in a couple days, couldn't contact you. I got worried. You were passed out, on the floor, completely unresponsive, with almost no pulse and barely breathing. Then all of a sudden, River and Bob come flying through some sort of portal thing, and she said you would be fine after a few minutes. So we moved you here."

River nodded, looking to me. "The influx of energy caused an overload in your synapses. I was unaffected due to the presence of my physical body."

"Right." I glanced at Murphy. "My mind was temporarily misplaced. There was bound to be trouble getting everything reconnected."

Murphy gave me a sideways look, then nodded. "Alright…always figured you'd lose your mind some day. Guess I'm just glad you found it again." I roll my eyes, and she shifts. "Now…where the hell have you been?"

I opened my mouth to start what was bound to be a long story, when the phone rang.

Huh…talk about timing.

Murphy glanced at me, then picked up the receiver and passed it to me.

"Dresden." I grumbled.

"Harry! Thank goodness! I've been trying to contact you for days…"

I blinked, reaching up to rub at my eyes. "Ivy? What is it? What's wrong?"

The girl on the other side of the line sounded like she was going to cry. "It _was_ the Red court. They were the ones who put down the contract for Lieutenant Murphy."

My blood ran cold.

The Reds had tried to kill Murphy.

"Are you sure?" I said quietly, cold anger on the edge of my voice. "They're trying to kill her?"

"Yes." Ivy replied. "They…just wrote you a letter. Telling you that they did it…they hope to goad you into attacking, so they have the excuse…they think you wouldn't bother to check..."

"Where are they?" I whispered, eyes closed.

"They rebuilt Bianca's mansion…their base is there." Ivy seemed to suddenly grasp what I had said, and hurriedly added. "Wait…Harry…"

I hung up, and stood, ignoring the questioning look from Murphy.

Those damn Reds…they'd taken Susan, killed so many wardens, recruits…and now they were after Murphy.

Well, I wasn't going to let them get away with it. No more Mr. Nice Wizard.

As I walked past them, I reached out a hand, and pulled my staff to me with a whispered spell. The runes that ran the length of it lit with bright orange light, and the scent of brimstone and burning wood filled the room.

I kept walking.

"Harry…" Murphy's voice held a warning, and I felt her grab onto my arm. "Harry, what is it? What do you think you're doing?"

I turned to her, my expression hard.

She let go of my arm, taking a step back and averting her gaze. I could see fear there. Just a flash of it.

"I'm going to go and kill these guys."

Murphy's expression grew dark. "I'm guessing you found the bad guys…"

I just turned, picking up my shield bracelet and duster, slipping both on. My blasting rod was still secured on it's loop, and it bumped lightly against my hip as I moved.

"This is my town, Dresden..."

"They're out of your jurisdiction, Murph." I cut her off before she could rehash that old argument. "These guys wouldn't be going to jail."

Murphy didn't move, but suddenly River was in front of me, standing her ground, staring me down.

I looked away first.

"I'm going with you." She said quietly, and I started. Caught a glance at Murphy, behind me, and she looked like she'd been kicked in the stomach.

"No, you're not." I said simply, taking a step forward.

I was on the ground a half second later, a particularly large boot (I'd forgotten she'd been wearing those) resting on my throat. River was glaring down at me.

"I am."

A moment passed, and I coughed. "Hell's bells kid…fine. Lemme up."

She did, turning to Murphy as I stood.

"Don't worry…he'll come back. And you'll be safe again."

Her smile was creepy.

I grunted and turned to the door, shoving it open and walking out. There was a scraping as it closed a few moments later, and I heard the crunch of combat boots on gravel.

"You sure you know what you're doing?"

River drew even with me, expression blank as she spoke. "I'm doing what is necessary."

I shook my head, but didn't say anything.

I got into the driver's seat, she got in the passenger side.

We were away.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>I can't say the Reds didn't do a good job at rebuilding the place. If I hadn't been the one to do it, I'd never have been able to tell it burned to the ground, taking every monster inside with it.<p>

Then again, it just made me want to burn it more. Probably not smart on their part.

Not that they were known for their common sense…

"You ready kid?"

River just gave me a Look.

"I mean, you sure you can handle this stuff?"

Again, with the Look. Jeez, cut a guy a break...

"Okay…" I pushed my door open, scrunching out. "Just me then."

See, anger is a funny thing. It can spur you into action with a fiery blaze…then smolder down by the time you get around to whatever it is you were trying to do. I had been all up and ready to squash these guys not ten minutes ago. Now I was just on the edge of nervous.

My staff, shield bracelet, and blasting rod were ready. The rings on my right hand were still charged. My heavy revolver was loaded and tucked in a pocket inside my coat. And…

River had a knife.

Where the hell did she get the freaking knife from? It wasn't even one that had been in my house!

I debated for a second whether or not to ask, then decided I was probably happier not knowing.

"Let's go greet the neighbors, shall we?"

She drifted forward. So did I.

The door was big, ornate, and made very nice, little, toothpick sized splinters all over the place when I blew it off its hinges.

"Heerreess Harry!"

About ten abnormally pale people turned to stare, for about half a second. Then the black, slimy, bat-faced monsters they really were clawed their way out of the fake skin.

Yea, that part is always creepy...

They were on us in a second. Two went after me, but were slammed into a wall by a blast of pure kinetic energy. Another pair split off, heading for River. I almost turned, but instead kept an eye on the other eight.

Kid was beyond good.

She took them down _hard_.

They weren't getting back up.

Hell, why couldn't _mine_ ever not get back up?

That was about the time a good twenty more vampires joined the fray, and it was too frenzied to think.

I have…flashes of memory. Explosions of force, burning flame, hissing vampires.

And, off to my side, a whirlwind of death that was River.

It was a tense moment when the vampires had died. Both of us looked around, obviously still lost in the haze of battle. River, dripping with blood, knife gripped tightly in one hand. Me, hellfire blazing through my staff and power sparking from my shield bracelet.

Then…someone was clapping.

"Bravo…quite the display of violence."

My attention snapped up towards the un-ruined portion of the stairs. A fairly nondescript man stood there, grinning broadly.

And, behind him, on the ceiling, on the walls…More vampires.

Way more.

Damn.

"It's almost a shame to have to kill you both."

Had to say…I saw that coming.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>So there we were, standing in the middle of a massacre, me and some skinny little girl who looked like the next bit of wind would knock her off her feet. The two of us covered with blood, almost none of it ours.<p>

And above us, on what was left of a second floor landing, was a Red Court vampire, still in his skin suit and surrounded by snarling, vicious, bat-ape-mutant things.

Let it never be said that I do things halfway.

"Well before you kill us." I spoke up, managing to find some bit of wit amidst the blind panic that threatened me. "Can you at least tell me your name? I'd like to know, so I can refer you once I get to hell. There must be some sort've rewards deal, right?"

The creepy guy just smiled. "Um…no. I don't think so. All you really need to know is that I was sent to kill you."

"Ah…Well…Can't say I haven't heard that before…" I glanced over at River. She was giving the guy her scary blank stare, searching. He didn't seem to notice the way she was holding her knife…

"So..." I yawn, make a show of stretch out my arms. "Here's my counter-offer. I _don't_ burn you all alive, and you just walk away. How does that sound?"

The guy looked thoughtful, tapping his chin and staring up at the ceiling. "No…no, I'm sorry. It's no good." He glanced to his side. "Kill them both. And make sure you keep Dresden's head intact."

Ah. Wonderful imagery.

They leapt.

I lifted my shield bracelet, catching two and throwing them to the side before stopping an attack from another.

River blurred, slicing and dicing with that mysterious knife, and doing some pretty insane damage with her free hand and feet.

Fighting is never fun. It's hot, sweaty, painful, and takes way too long. That's why I don't like stand up fights, unless, you know, I have an edge.

These guys had a definite edge this time.

"Perhaps I can help."

The jolt of surprise caused the vampire I hit to fly extra far.

"My my, you certainly are excitable lately…"

"Are you kidding me!" I hissed, casting a gout of flame at a tight packed group of vampires. It missed, and dissipated against the hardwood flooring. "You don't bother me for nearly a month, and _now_ you decide to show up!"

"Why of course. Does it not work in my favor?" I could almost see the fallen angel smiling. "And look to your left."

I growled and swung my staff around, blocking a snarling vamp and throwing it back with a blast of wind. "Neither of us benefit if I'm _dead_!"

"The stress must be getting to you, Mr. Dresden!" The guy called from above, obviously amused. "You're talking to yourself."

I couldn't help but snort at that. If only he knew.

"Why don't you show him?"

Would that really be so bad?

"You could exact your revenge against him. He tried to kill Lieutenant Murphy…"

He did…

I hissed and forced an extra large helping of will into my next attack, scattering the vampires in my way like bowling pins.

"Not today, Lash."

A sigh. "You are so very stubborn…at least take a bit of my help. You are tiring rather quickly."

I scowled when I realized she was right, but ignored her and swung my staff. No magic, but it bashed the vamp sneaking up on me pretty good.

"Just a little…boost. For the duration of the fight…"

"Not…today." I hissed, before throwing another bit of fire.

"…Well, it would seem it's not necessary…"

Because the fighting was suddenly over. There weren't any more monsters trying to kill us. Well, one, but he didn't look very monstrous yet…

The guy was furious, and he let us know.

"I knew you were formidable, wizard. I just had no idea how much of an annoyance you are!" He raised a hand, and it was surrounded by a freezing aura.

"Jeez…" I hissed. "Never learn, do you?"

I reached into my coat, pulled out my revolver...

And cried in pain as a blast of cold hit my hand, forcing me to drop the weapon in order to shake it uselessly.

Guy laughed. It made me mad.

"I suppose there's no other choice now." He called down. "I'll just have to use my…talents…to kill you."

This time I saw it coming, and leapt to the side. I still felt an uncomfortable numbness in my toes.

Yay.

"Oh, and don't think I forgot about you little girl."

I turned in time to see him throw one of those cold blasts at River, who stood there, staring, till the last possible second, before throwing herself to the side. She was a bit more graceful than I had been, turning a one handed cartwheel.

There was a flash of silver as she was upright, and I frowned. Hadn't she been holding a knife?

"Grah!" I looked up at the sound. Vampy guy was clutching his gut, holding the knife, dripping with fresh blood.

Ah. So that's where it went.

"You'll pay for that!" He cried, throwing the knife down and aiming a hand at River. I noticed he looked a little shaky, and smiled. He may be pretty good at that spell, but it was still bound to be draining. Especially being wounded.

River nimbly dodged his attacks, and I was temporarily mesmerized by the way she moved.

But then I remembered there was fighting going on.

I looked around…This was a perfect opportunity. He was so preoccupied with River, he wouldn't notice…

I spotted what I was looking for and scrambled for it. The revolver was fine, even after the little drop.

The hammer clicked back, and I brought the weapon to bear, squinting down the barrel.

Just as I got a bead on his head, he noticed.

Too bad for him.

One shot, and his head jerked back a little, his expression shocked. Another five shots, less practically aimed, and he went down.

Pretty obviously dead.

I just stood there, breathing for awhile. I tucked away the revolver, and sighed.

River walked up to me, frowning as she stared.

"Then burn it."

I looked up, blinking. "What?"

"Answering your question. Do not question the answer."

She drifted out.

I watched her go, and reached up to wipe the grime and blood away from my eyes.

A relatively small spell, and a few of the bodies caught fire.

I walked out, just as it started to spread to the furniture.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>"So you took him down?"<p>

I nodded, staring down into my can of coke.

Murphy sighed, settling a hand on my shoulder. "Good job."

I looked up, frowned. She just gave me a tired smile. "You beat the bad guys. Again. And you saved me, and probably a bunch of people who would have been eaten by them."

I took a deep breath before nodding. "Right. I know that."

"Then what's bugging you?"

I dragged my hand over my face. "The fighting. It always gets to me. You know what it's like."

Murphy sobered, nodded. "Right."

I was quiet for awhile, then shrugged. "Besides. I wasn't the only one there."

She blinked at me. She _had_ forgotten...

We both looked up.

River was, again, hanging by the rafters, this time with an expression of frustration as she attempted to open the can of coke I'd given her.

"This container is contrary." She grumbled quietly.

I shook my head. "Pull the tab."

She stared at me, then at the can. A moment of searching, and there was a pop and a hiss.

Cola went flying everywhere.

"Gah!" I rushed to the bathroom for a towel or five. "You weren't supposed to open it upside-down!"

Murphy and River laughed.

* * *

><p>DMT<p>

* * *

><p>"You ready?"<p>

River nodded, looking around at the vast expanse of concrete, covered in chalk markings. "The equations are almost balanced."

I looked around. "So…this is it. Last time we'll be seeing you."

River gave an enigmatic smile, reaching down to scratch in a few numbers.

The portal ripped open, still disturbing to watch. River glided over to it, smiling the whole time.

"Goodbye, Mister Dresden."

I waved slightly, blinked as the portal flashed, then stepped back. The chalk was being pulled up off the ground and into the hole. Within moments the entire thing vanished had vanished, leaving an empty warehouse floor.

I packed up and left.

Time Traveling Psychics, spaceships, and assassination plots. New, but definitely not the weirdest thing I'd ever seen.

Because at the end of the day, even that stuff just doesn't compare to what's out there.

"Come on Mouse."

My faithful dog trotted up to me, from his post by the door, and we headed to the beetle.

I looked up at the stars as we walked, and smiled slightly.

"Let's go home."


	3. Epilogue

River was sitting in the dark, but it didn't surprise the preacher man when he turned on the lights. She knew it didn't. Out in the black, things were simpler…

"I thought I might find you out here." Book smiled slightly as he moved in the small cooking area, pulling out the teakettle and his small stash of herbal tea.

"Couldn't sleep. Too much information, refuses to silence."

Book just nodded, pulling out a second cup. "Let's share then, shall we? I've heard tell I'm a good listener."

River glanced up, and blinked.

"I met him, you know."

Book looked around. "Hmm? And who would that be?" A moment of quiet as he turned back to the teakettle, a pause in the conversation.

The silence was odd.

"The one who carried it before you."

The teakettle clattered slightly, but Book didn't turn. "I'm afraid you'll have to be a bit more specific."

River continued to stare at the preacher's back. "The nail. The nail that held the son. Now of trinity, held against silver."

Book was quiet for awhile. The kettle whistled, and he quickly pulled it off the heat and set it on the tray, which was then carried to the table.

All in silence.

River never blinked.

A few more minutes of silence passed, during which Book looked thoughtful.

"It…has been awhile since I met someone else who knew."

River fidgeted in her seat, lowering her gaze. "It's not accepted anymore. Nearly gone."

Book nodded. "That it is. Too hard to live, with all the advanced technology. If it weren't for the powerful repression wards they managed to work into the one ship, they never would have left Earth-that-was."

"Stuck on the outer fringe, creating in silence."

Book shook his head. "A sad thing indeed." He poured the tea, and River quietly took hers. "I assume this has something to do with your little vanishing acts?"

River nodded. "Met him. He was nice. His family was good. They were afraid though…"

Book frowned. "Of what?"

"Me."

"Well..."

"His name was Michael Carpenter."

Book blinked. "As in The-Father-of-Molly-Carpenter Michael Carpenter?"

River smiled slightly. "She was nice too."

"So…This is who you went back to see?"

River shook her head. "His friend. The one possessed. The torn mage."

"…Dresden?" The name was whispered with a reverence previously unheard in Book's voice. "I knew that…being a Knight of the Cross, I knew some things but…I didn't know about _that_ connection."

River stared down into her tea. "Harry Dresden…he was so sad…and broken, in so many little pieces, held together by his will and magic…"

"A man worthy of ancient tragedies" Book watched River intently for a moment. "What were you doing there?"

River stared back, scanning the other's eyes.

"He needed help."

Book nodded slightly. "As powerful a wizard as there ever was, but still the first to admit he needed help…"

"Still needs help."

For once, Shepard Book had absolutely no idea what River might be talking about.

"Leaving from Persephone in three days. We'll reach it in two weeks."

River stood, and walked out of the room, pausing in the doorway. "Thank you for the tea."

She drifted out, leaving Book to stare at the wall.

Two weeks…

Maybe it was time to talk to the captain…perhaps he had been keeping secrets just a bit too long…


	4. Teaser

A/N: Hello, all. I'd like to say a few things here, just to say them.

Inspiration is a terrible, fickle thing, at times. For me, when it comes to these sort of projects, my inspiration will tease and taunt, dragging things out as long as possible. Other times, usually when I'm writing something ridiculous just to write, it'll give me pages and pages worth of material. I've got hundreds of pages that will never see the light of day, I'm sure.

Sometimes, though, you just have to give into it.

I've always intended for there to be a sequel for Dresden, Meet Tam. Maybe not something that I do immediately, but I knew it would happen. Well...the recent rewrite has refreshed the story in my head, and inspiration took it from there. Suddenly, an idea dawned on me. That idea spawned this little piece, which I've chosen to post here for readers to look over.

I will warn you now, even if I actually start this thing, updates will be sporadic, at best. I've got more important projects in the works elsewhere, and life is ever ongoing. But hey...there's a story here somewhere, and I intend to find it.

With nothing else to add...here's a teaser for the upcoming sequel, 'Casual Time Travel'.

* * *

><p>CTT<p>

* * *

><p>Badplace. Wrongplace.<p>

Lacking of perception. Painful angering lack. There is not _enough_, in wrongplace hereplace...

Void. Energy in Void. Energy from young thing. Different thing. One Speaks. Young thing changemakes. Young thing is hungry. Takes back Energy in Void. But it does not Speak. It is not One.

One moves, painhurt, in Void. More young thing...

_Younger_ things. One does not know younger things. One Speaks. Younger things changemake, shift. But they do not Speak. They are not One.

One moves in Void.

Thisplace herehas young, younger. One moves to Speak...

But...

Things. _Younger_ things. One cannot thinkvision such young things. One reaches downoutthrough, to Touch...

Thing breaks. But One learns from thing. Thing is 'small'. Thing is 'alive'. Thing is 'Person'. Thing lives on 'planet' near 'sun' in 'solar system'. Thing is one of many.

One is 'large'. One is 'lost' and 'afraid'. One is 'blind' and 'deaf' and 'mute'.

Thing ends. One begins.

Thing is 'heavy'. Thing uses 'meat' to move. One Speaks. Thing changes. 'Bone' moves One on planet. Over 'rock' and 'tree' and 'ground'. Other Things 'scream' and 'run'. One reaches out to Touch another.

It breaks. But One learns from her. She is 'daughter' and 'sister' and 'mother'. She has 'parents' and 'siblings' and 'children'. One seeks them out, and Touches them.

One learns from the people of the planet. One follows on 'ship'. It travels in silence when it is empty. And One rests.

Crash. It is a thing these people fear. One does not understand. Crash does not stop One's form. It is made of meat and bone like people...

More people...but there are Sounds. Forms. Thisplace is more Real. The 'homes' exist more wholly. There is Energy in the 'air'.

A person approaches One. And it is as Real as thisplace.

Person Speaks. And One is shocked. One Speaks as well. Person Speaks. Angry Speaking. One recoils. And Speaks again.

Hurt! HurtSpeak! Person Speaks pain and burn! One Speaks sorrow and injury. Person does not Speak again. One moves. 'Down'.

One must Sleep. One must Wait. One will return when One is healed.

Silence.


End file.
